


Don't Follow the Siren's Song

by Adry1412



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Captain Herschel, Evil Mermaid, M/M, Mermaid Daryl, Mutiny, Pirates, Sad ending I'm sor sorry, Sailor Rick, bottom!daryl, top!rick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:05:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6586477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adry1412/pseuds/Adry1412
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick may or may not be up fucked if he follows the voice.<br/>---<br/>Mermaid fic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Follow the Siren's Song

The sailors had warned Rick not to follow the songs. Don't fall under the mermaid's spell.  
And, God, does he wish he had listened.

\---  
Night after night he spent on the deck, arms folded on the bars and listening to the angelic song from the distance. It was soothing, a night long song that crept over the horizon and spilled onto the large, rickety ship. It was a high and mournful song, brimming with emotion and pain, sounding more like a howl than any tune Rick's ever heard.  
Stars shown bright above his head, reflecting off the calm ocean and making the waves glow under the moonless sky. The water bouncing up and down and against the side of the dark wooden boat as it swayed and creaked, floating carelessly over the deep, mysterious ocean. The deck is dark, no one around but him, chin resting on his hand, ears catching the siren's voice and eyes drifting close at its calming sound. It's quieter tonight, the sound of pure loneliness pulling at his heart.

His cabin mates are all tucked into their sleeping quarters, pillows over their heads to block out the hypnotizing song. They're afraid and Rick would be too if he wasn't already addicted, days stretching on making his skin crawl until night falls and he can hear the mermaid sing again. He had spent days listening to Captain Herschel spin tales about the allusive man that haunts the seas, his tail long and pale, glowing iridescent in the sun's beams. Piercing blue eyes under dark lashes that could swept any mortal off his feet. Herschel had warned him, in that raspy sea soaked voice, of the long brown hair and innocent eyes, that would bring men to their knees and lure them under the waves, chasing the seductive beauty until their lungs filled and their hearts stopped. Herschel warned them that no man had ever come back once he got too close to the mermaid, that his beauty was too much any mortal to resist. That Herschel had lost good men to the horrible beast and he had seen first hand what the monster does, seducing and devouring any unsuspecting sailors that choose to follow his song. He told them of nights where he's tied himself to the ship's posts so when the mermaid called, and his crew would jump overboard, swimming towards the voice, he wouldn't be able to follow.  
Rick watched the old bearded man as he spoke, sadness in his eyes mixing with regret and guilt at the many young men he had practically handed over to the creature of lore. The man's throat tight with the weight of indescribable heartache for the souls lost at sea.  
His close friend and bunk mate, Shane, sat next to him those nights, eyes wide with fear and shoulders tense. Any noise made the crew jump and shivers run through their spines. They had all believed Herschel, pale faces and wide eyes hanging on his every word, but Rick had scoffed, shaking his head until the inky night brought the siren's song.

He hadn't believed his ears at first, straining them, trying to see if his mind was playing tricks on him. But no, the song was quiet, barely drifting in the wind that first night. He held the ship's side, wide eyed, and continued to listen, ears turned towards the horizon, just south of here and the direction their ship was heading.  
Night after night, Rick would sit and listen until his body would succumb to exhaustion and he was forced to retreat to his bunk, eyes burning and mind spinning. His mind would conjure images of milky skin and deep blue eyes, iris's spiraling with waves of blue as deep as the ocean itself. Herschel warned them time and time again, but Rick spent many sneaky nights praying for a glance at the man who could sing such beautiful songs.

\---  
Herschel had warned his sailors. A gravity in his voice that made their hearts sink and hands tremble in fear.  
And, God, does Rick wish he had listened.

The coast was just up ahead, untouched land covered in golden, white shores and tall, dark trees. The crew was uneasy, all jittering with the prospect of new resources and steady ground beneath their feet.  
Shane had sat next to him, startling him from a nap he didn't know he was taking, a bright smile stretching his broad face, giving him a goofy look. He was drumming with excitement and talking so adamantly about the possibilities laying just a few clicks ahead of them. Rick smiled and humored him, but the knots in his stomach and the lack of sleep made him dizzy. He had spent the night awake, white knuckling the side of the ship, eyes wide and ears sharp for the song that sounds way too close to be safe.   
He had watched for any movement in the water, any splash that may be caused by the notorious beast. Any rogue wave or overexcited fish making him jump and his heart pound harder against his chest. The song was close, so close that Rick had debated waking the captain and telling him to warn the crew, but he hadn't. He sat and watched the sun rise as the song drifted and dipped around him like the waves, seeming to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all the same. It had surrounded him and, with a lick of fear running up his spine, Rick had realized that it was moving, circling the ship itself.

So he sat with Shane and laughed at whatever dirty joke his friend told and pretended that he hadn't spent the night in fear. Pretending that the voice hadn't stop once, in the early dark morning, only to return briefly just below deck before vanishing with a splash that Rick was certain the boat's rocking hadn't caused. He shivers at the memory, Herschel's tales running around his mind and making him nervous. Shane seemed worried, brows furrowed and shit eating grin gone, but Rick had assured him that it was just exhaustion. Many months at sea can make a man go crazy, a deep tiredness in their bones that only dry land and a few too many shots of rum can fix, and his promise to Shane had made the man smile wide and jump up eagerly, mouth rambling about exactly how drunk he wanted to get that evening.

\---  
With the ship docked, and every crew mate milling around the sand, it's easy to understand the proud smile on Herschel's face. Rick had stayed close, tongue begging to tell his captain about the songs he's heard, but the salty old man had smacked his back and pushed him towards the land.  
Tents were being set up, a fire pit roaring to life on the crescent shaped beach. "A nature made port", Herschel had called it, the water getting steadily shallower until it kissed in the white sandy beach.  
Rick watched the boat, a few hundred yards off shore, tall sails and wide sides looking so small from his perspective on the beach. Shane was laughing, taking long gulps from a canteen filled with fresh water they had found a half mile inland. It's amazing, a dream come true. This is what he had given up when he left his home for all those months ago. He smiles and begins to wander the beach, mind set on exploring the ayre and what laid behind it.

\---  
He wishes he had listened to Herschel and stayed close to the ship. He wishes he hadn't followed that siren's sweet song.

He had waved his crew mate and captain off, when they questioned his direction, a steady hand patting the machete's red handle and another holding the hilt of the gun on his hip. Rick wasn't stupid, far from it. Always a tactful and careful man, he had never needed to be watched over, never caused his crew any stress. He assured them that he was self reliant and was simply going to check visibility from the higher land, to assure his men on the protection the cove held.  
Shane had asked to come along, but the leveling stare Rick shot him had made his large friend retract his question, choosing instead to wish Rick the best of luck. He wanted to be alone. An introverted man by nature, he had push his need for isolation down, the months in such close quarters making him nervous and desperate for any moment of silence he could get.  
Of course, that's what he told himself. If Rick was to be completely honest with himself, he was searching for something, or someone, he shouldn't be.

Binoculars around his neck, feet planted on the small cliff on the cove's ayre, he searched. Raising the black plastic to his eyes, he scans the water, searching for any abnormality. Scanning the beach, for any breaches or indents where a beast would call home. He continues to search as the sun begins to set, the beach covered in an orange glow and the calm waters glistening in the distance. He knows he should start heading back, no man should be alone after dark, but he sighs and raises the lenses again to search once more.

He stops, disbelief pulling his mouth open and making his breath hitch. He rubs his eyes and swallows the painful, salty lump in his throat and staring, wide eyed, through his binoculars; his whole body shaking at the image in front of him.  
It's a man, young and pale, skin glistening with the salty water, laying limping over a rock just off shore. He scans the area, large jutting rocks form a small jetty leading towards the man. Rick turns towards his crew just a mile away, all putt-ing around the shore and preparing their campsite. He swears his eyes are playing tricks on him and he knows he should be turning, running towards his crew mates and forming a group to come with him, to help the potentially dangerous man.

But he doesn't do that.  
His legs carry him forward, down the side of the ayre and across the jetty, harsh waves coming up and almost knocking him off his feet. A pained moan has Rick running, tripping over the slippery rocks and crashing down towards the half hidden man, only his head and shoulders showing. He's holding onto the rock, head hung low, and Rick is concerned, afraid to touch and possible injury the silent man anymore.  
"Are you okay?"  
Bright, tear filled eyes meet Rick's, his whole body freezing and his mind blank. "Please, sir, help me. My foot, it's stuck between the rocks and I can't move. Please.. help me."  
Rick moves before he realizes what he's doing, removing his machete and gun and jumping into the water. The beautiful man is watching him, peering up through long, dark lashes as Rick comes closer and reaches down to feel for the man's foot.

He freezes, wide eyes locking with the man's piercing baby blues, a smirk spreading across thin pink lips.

\---  
Rick had been warned, time and time again, about the siren that haunted the world's deepest oceans.  
And, God, does he wish he had listened.

He has no one to blame but himself. His mind spins with the events that had lead him to dark cave, surrounded by the skeletons of hundreds of thousands of unfortunate men.   
The man's hands had grabbed him and pulled him under the waves, deeper and deeper and Rick swore he was going to drown. He had struggled but it'd been useless, the demon gripping his arms and dragging him further while his ears pop and chest begged for air. The ocean was dark and his vision was blurring but it had all stopped when his eyes had closed.  
He had gasped for air, taking deep gulps of the wonderful substance when they broke through, his hands crawling at the ground. He screamed when his shaking fist had grabbed onto a skull.

So now Rick sits, breathing heavy as he watches the mermaid walk around on two long, beautifully milky legs that, just moments ago, were a scaly, fish like tail. It was a small cave, the monster's home, hidden under the waves and illuminated by a hole in the rock high above their heads, the moon casting a lite glow around the dirty room. The man tuts and smirks in Rick's direction, eyes dark and hungry.  
"You sailors make it too easy. You're idiots, really. Stupid, delicious idiots."  
Rick is terrified, stomach twisting in knots and head spinning. Part of him wants to scream and run and beg for his mother, but the other side is much calmer. It makes Rick sit and listen to every word the mermaid says, that makes his pants feel tight and his heart ache for the gorgeous man before him. He's mesmerized by the slender frame and shaggy brown hair, his mouth both dry as the dessert and overflowing with saliva and lust.  
The mermaid is watching him, face stoic and eyes sparkling blue, taking in every detail of the bearded sailor. He smirks again and Rick's heart jumps in his throat as the beautiful monster kneels in front of him, leaning forward to caressing his face. His eyes playful and curious as he runs his soft hand down Rick's face, fingers lingering on thick, red lips.  
"None of your crew mates jumped overboard.. Why is that?"  
Rick racks his mind, remembering Herschel's warning of the song that drove his men crazy, making them jump in the ocean to follow the angelic voice. "They didn't hear you. My captain, Herschel, he gave us ear plugs for the nighttime. He'd lost a lot of men to the mer-... To you."  
He huffs out a laugh, bright white teeth catching his lower lip briefly before speaking. "Herschel. I know him. Old man, right? Big white beard?"  
"How do..?"  
"Please. Honestly, I've had countless men in here, begging and screaming for their beloved Captain Herschel to save them." He laughs again, turning his head to glance over his shoulder, long slender neck exposed, the soft skin only broken by the deep gashes that Rick assumes must be his gills. "I'll tell you something, umm... What's your name?"  
"Rick. Rick Grimes."  
"Rick Grimes.. I'm Daryl, by the way. But I'll tell you something." His now dark eyes lock with Rick's, "I've eaten hundreds of Herschel's men. But, now, not one of them as been as calm as you. Why is that? Are you not afraid?"  
Slender hands run down Rick's chest, skillfully unbuttoning his shirt and running his fingers through the sparse chest hair. He tries to find his voice but it's a losing war when the mermaid licks his lips and quirks an eyebrow.   
"I-I'm not afraid. I mean, I am. But not of you. I'm afraid of what you'll do to my crew, to my friends."  
Daryl laughs, full and loud, and it echoes around the small, damp cave. He straddles Rick's thighs and strokes his hair, making the sailors eyes fall closed, if only for a second. "Now, Rick, you really think I'm gonna hurt you're crew? What kinda monster do you think I am?"  
"But you..eat..sai-."  
"No, no, Ricky. You need to understand. You men aren't the first to come here. Why, I just ate two weeks ago and I'm not looking for a full meal. Just a snack." He clicks his tongue and peers up at Rick through those infamous lashes, "Just Herschel."  
It had happened so quick, Rick's stunned silence was met with a bargain. With sinful lips close to Rick's ear and talented hands working the clothes off the shocked sailor, he made Rick a deal.  
\---  
"You can have anything you want.. Just bring me Herschel."  
\---  
His mind worked a mile a minute, thoughts flashing back and forth, his body acting on its own accord.  
Rick couldn't stop himself. Although, if he was being completely honest with himself, he hadn't tried.

He'd promised Rick anything, anything he could want. Money and priceless jewelry from the wrecked ships just under the ocean's surface, his own ship that he could lead as it's powerful captain, the ability to walk away alive...   
But Rick had rejected it all. Stared silently at the creature until it understood, blue eyes and smile widening. "Me? Why, Rick, I'm honored."

\---  
He felt sick.  
He fastened his belt and let his mind replay what had happened. It was wrong, but the fear in Rick's gut had pushed him forward and guilt had risen in his throat, making his chest ache and his ears burn. Rouge hands held onto smooth, pale skin, lips nipping and licking at the salty skin of the mermaid's neck. Daryl had giggled, pulling Rick down and on top of him, thin legs spreading wide and filthy mouth begging. It had happened so fast, Rick's hips thrusting forward, hard and fast, overcome with lust, and his blood pumped hard through his veins. The sounds the siren made were reminiscent of the songs that gripped his heart and kept him awake all through the dark nights. He exploded deep into his lover, biting into the man's neck hard enough to bruise yet avoiding the thin flaps of skin that pushed and pulled water so he could breathe.

Daryl sat with his feet in the small pool that connected the cave to the ocean, arms behind him and head lulling from side to side. Purple marks decorated the mermaid's neck and he was humming, lips turned upward in a ghost of a smile and face slackened in pure bliss.  
"Honestly, Rick, don't feel bad. In the thousands of years I've been alive, I've never kept a man alive this long. Nor have I ever enjoyed their...company as much as I enjoyed yours."  
He hopped out, bouncing on his legs as he threw his arms around the man, kissing him deep and passionately, pulling the air right out of Rick's lungs. He world spun and he grabbed onto narrow hips when Daryl pulled away, head back and laughing loudly.  
"Now, Rick, be a good boy and bring me that captain of yours, will you? I'm always a little hungry after sex."

\---  
So here Rick was.  
Walking towards the cave with Herschel in tow, thoughts racing through his mind and bile rising in his throat.  
"Where are the men, Rick? I don't see a boat."  
He feels awful, the lies he told the older man had felt wrong on his tongue, made his cheeks burn. He wanted nothing more than to turn, grab the captain by the arms and bring him back to safety, but his feet continued onward.

The singing made the men stop, both sets of eyes wide and searching for the mermaid. The song echoed through the area and Rick turned to gage the older man's reaction. Herschel stood, lips tightly closed and eyes flashing with what Rick would imagine to be horrible memories and pure anger.  
"You son of a-"  
The bearded man couldn't finish his sentence, his feet being pulled out from under him and towards the ocean. Rick could only watch as Daryl dragged his captain into the murky water, large eyes glowing in the dark night and teeth shining. They were long, longer than before, and sharp and each one on display with the wide grin. Water splashing, the old man's screaming being cut off with the tide.

Rick couldn't watch.  
He stood, eyes trained on the waves kissing the sand at his feet. He watched as the water darkened, red blood tainting the once clear blue. It smeared the sand, catching heavier in some spots and making the shore resemble some abstract artwork that Rick had once seen in a museum in his old home.  
Tears fell, small circles breaking up the blanket of dark red blood. He doesn't know when he had started crying, or when Daryl had come out of the water and began to wipe his face with bloody hands, shushing him quietly.

\---  
He doesn't know what he expected.

When his crew had boarded their ship and Rick waved them off, he hadn't imagined that he'd stay behind. Nor would he have imagined the nights he spent in the damp cave with Daryl, the mermaid's head cradled lovingly on his chest.  
He never imagined that the mermaid could ever love him.

Nor could he imaging when the beast turned to him, a small smile on his perfect lips, grabbing his hand, before pulling the sailor under the waves, never to come up again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll like to take this time to apologize. I'm sorry for the angst.  
> Also I love you guys and I love every single comment I get! Thank u thank u thank u!!!


End file.
